Tank-car placard



Sept. 11,1928.

W. A. TAYLOR ET AL TANK GAR PLACARD Filed Nov. 3, 1927 EMPTY ANK La. ambiant Dv mi mcr nur with. Li

w m 1 m w. A. TAxLoR E1' AL sept 11, 192s. 1,684,048

TANK CAR PLACARD Filed Nov. 3, 1927 .2 Sheets-,Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 11, 1928i.

Y 1,684,048 .UNITED STATES PAT-ENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. TAYLOR Ann COLUMBUS M. GinLnY,for Bonanza, TEXAS.

TANK-CAR PLACARD.

Application led November 3, 1927. Serial No. 230.824.

This invention relates to placard supports used on tank cars containing inflammable products, such placards being required by the Interstate Commerce Commission, and the general object of thel invention is to provide a placard Support so constructed that a placard denoting that Va tank is empty may be elevated to a display position and locked ,i

in this display position, or said placard may be obscured by another placard raised to display position and locked in this position which denotes that'theV tank contains inflammable material and that lights and fires must be kept away, etc.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which may be readily attached to any and all tank cars, which will be durable and efiicient inservice, and convenient to operate, doing away entirely with the present system of tacking placards to a placard support, which placards are liable to be torny away when the car still contains inflammablematerial or left on the car after the iniiammable material has'been withdrawn from the car.

Other objects have to do with the detailsV of construction andV arrangement of parts as will appear more fully hereinafter.

Our invention -is illustrated inthe accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is an elevation of avplacard support constructed in accordance with our invention and displaying an empty tank placard;

Figure structure shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a like' view to 'Figure 1 but showing the full tankplacard'raised Yto av display position and locked in this position;

Figures is afside elevation of the structure shown in Figure 3;". g l,

Figure 5 is a detail view of the means for shifting the spring tongue; into its locking position and yholdng it in this .locked position; f

Referring to these drawings, 1() designates generally a bracket having a hori-v zontal portion 11 lprovided with apertures 12 whereby screws may be passed through the bracket to attach the bracket 10 to` the tank car at any convenient :positionthereon The bracket 10v has a vertically extending from the portion 11,

.so as to permit it to spring outward, we

portion 13- depending a horizontal portionll extendingfrom thev 2 is a vertical sectional view of the jto provide a tongue low the lower end 'of the bracket 10, this leaf ward above the horizontal portion 11. AThe portion 14 of the bracket 10 is provided with a bushing 16 extendingr through the portion '14 and held in place by a nuty 17. rIhis bushing is provided with the diametrica'lly disposed' apertures 18. Sliding through thefbu'shin'g is a tubular standard 19 formed with a longitudinally extending slot 20 near its lower yend and with an aperture `21 disposed diametrically across from the slot but adjacent the lower end thereof. f i f Mounted upon the inner. face of the p0rtion 18 of the bracket is a shield plate 22 which, as shown, is square in shape, disposedy with two corners of theVplate in vertical alignment, this plate being rivetedforotherwise attached to the bracket 10 and extend- 15 of the bracket 10 isa .placard plate 25 y which has the same ai'eafas/the plate 23 and is arranged in. the saine relation, this placard plate being displayed when the placard plate 23 is lowered and'obscured when the placard plate 23 is raised.

For the purpose of locking the placard.

plate v23 either in its lowered or its raised position, we provide a leaf spring 26 formed 27 extending down bespring havingpreferably a rounded outer face and ycarrying a-locking pin 28, which y is adapted to pass througlithe holes 18 in the bushing 1,6 and through the slot 20 orv through the aperture 21. When this pin is pulledout, the standard 19 may be shifted upward tothe position shown in Figure 4- and locked in this position, as illustrated in this-figure, 'and when theV pin is pulled out from thev opening 21, the standard will drop.

' carrying with it the placard plate 23, and

this placardplate will thus be lowered to the position shown in Figure 2.', y p

For the purpose of locking the tongue 27 in its locking'position or' releasing vthe tongue provide a pin 29 vcarryingupon it'the hasp 30. lVhen this hasp is turned downward, as

shown in Figures 2 and 4, the spring tongue 27 will be crowded over by the hasp camming against the rounded face of the tongue 27, thus locking the pinv28 from any retraction. Vhen this hasp 30 is turned upward, however, it will release the locking pin and the locking tongue may be manually pulled out to withdraw the pin entirely from the aperture 21, permitting the standard to be raised or lowered. This locking tongue is slotted for the reception of a sealing wire 31 or forl any other suitable lock device which will hold the tongue from being shifted to release the placard standard unauthorizedly.

It will be seen that when the standard 19 is lowered, as shown in Figure 2, that the placard 23 is concealed behind the placard 22 'and the placard 25 is displayed. This placard 25 preferably has upon it words in- 'licating that the tank empty, that it contained inflammable liquid, and warning operatives from enteringr the tank with eX- posed flame until the car has been ventilated, etc. The placard 23 carries upon it the notification that the contents of the tank are inflammable, that lights and fires must K be kept away, and that the car must be haiidled carefully, etc. These directions are those which are required by the Interstate Commerce Commission to be applied on the placards vof tank cars. These placard plates 23 and 25 will have the notice before mentioned painted upon them permanently and thus the car may be placarded either one way or the other andV these placards easily and readily changed mechanically as the 0ccasion demands without the additional relatively heavy expense of actually making` a physical change of the placard itself.

As shown in Figure 5, the member 29 is formed with a spirally disposed groove 29a and the tongue or hasp 30 has an ear 30 bent over so as to form a hinge, which hinge engages the portion of the lmember 29 within the slot 29u. As the member 30 is turned downward, the spiral slot 29a will crowd the member 30 laterally toward the tongue 27. As it is turned upward it will move away from t-he tongue 27. The harder the member 30 is pressed downward, the tighter it will beai' against the member 27. Vlien the member 30 is raised manually it permits the operator to manually pull out member 27, thereby permitting the placard face to be either raised or lowered. The seal to be used with the hasp 30 is an ordinary car seal, the wire of which is `passed around the bushings 16 andr under member 28 and then up through the slot 30.

This device will facilitate the labeling oi' placarding of tank cars transporting infiammable products, is durable, efficient and economical, and complies in every respect with the requirements of the law. Y

lower end of the depending portion and an upwardly extendingportion rising from the horizontal portion and extend-ing above the first named depending portion and carrying a placard, a shield mounted upon the depending portion of the "bracketand having an area` equal to that of the placard but being` disposed entirely below the same, a `sec- Y ond placard slidab supported uponfthe horizontal portion of the bracket and adapted when lowered to be Aobscured by said shield and when raised to obscure the first named placard, and mea-ns for holding the` second named placard in its raised position.

8. A placard supporting device for tank cars compris-ing a bracketlhaving a depending portion, a horizontal portion at the lower end of the ydepending portion and an upwardly extending portionV rising from the horizontal portion and extending above the first named dependingportion and carrying a placard, -a .shield mounted upon the depending. portion of the bracket and having an area equalxto thatof the placard but being disposed entirely below the same, a second placard slidably supported upon the horizontal portion of the bracket and adapted when lowered to be obscured by said shield and when raised to obscure the-rst named placard, means for holding the 'sec-` ond named placard Ain its raised position, and means for locking the holding means.

4. A placard supporting device for tank cars comprising a bracket having a shieldl and having a supporting member extending above the'sliield and-supporting a placard, a

standard slidably mounted inthe bracket for vertical movement, 'a second ported upon said the second placard when raised by a vertivplacard supcal movement of the standard obscuringthe Y first named placard 4and when loweredby a lowering movement of the standard being obscured'by said shield, land means for locking the standard in its raised position. f

5. A placard `supporting device for tank cars comprising an approxi-mately U-shaped bracket, one leg 'ofy the U-shaped bracket having a `horizontal 'attaching portion, the other leg being extended Iabove the horizontal portion, a shield attached to the first standard at its upperend,

named leg of the bracket, a bushing extending through the lower end of the bracket and having opposed periorations, a placard attached to the upper end of the second named leg of the bracket above said shield, a standard passing through said bushing and slidable vertically therein, a second placard mounted upon the upper end of said standard and obscured by the shield when the standard .is lowered and when raised into va display position obscuring the first named placard, and means for locking the tubular standard in a raised position.

6. A placard supporting device for tank cars comprising an approximately U-shaped bracket, one leg of the U-shaped bracket.

having a horizontal attaching portion, the other leg being extended above the horizontal portion, a shield attached to thev first named leg of the bracket, a bushing extend-r ing through the lower end oi the bracket and having opposed periorations, a placard attached to the upper end of the second named leg oi the bracket above said shield, a standard passing through said bushing and slidable verticallyA therein, a second placard mounted upon the upper end of saidv standard and obscured by the shield when the standard is lowered and when raised into a display position obscuring the iirst named placard, means for ylocking the tubular standard in a raised position including a spring having a tongue, a pin carried by the tongue and adapted to pass through the perforations in the bushing, the standard having a slot through which the pin passes, and an aperture at the lower end of the standard through which the4 pin passes when the standard is fully raised.

7. A. placard supporting device for tank cars comprising an approximately U-shaped bracket, one leg of the U-shaped bracket vnamed leg of the bracket, a bushing extending throughr the lower end oi the bracket and having opposed perforations, a placard attached to the upper end of the second named leg ofthe bracket above said shield, a standard passing through said bushing and slidable vertically therein, a second placard mounted upon the upper end of said standard and obscured by the shield when the standard is lowered and when raised into a display position obscuring the first named placard, means for locking the tubular standard in a raised position including a spring having a tongue, a pin carried by the tongue and adapted to pass through the perforations in the bushingthe standard having a slot through which the pin passes, an aperture at the lower end of the standard through which the pin passes when the standard is fully raised, the spring acting to shift the pin outward, and means adapted to force the tongue oi the spring inward andY lock it in this position.

In testimony whereof we hereunto affix our signatures.

WILLIAM A. TAYLOR. coLUMBUs M. GIDLEY. 

